Category Archives: Beards and Bands

We know it’s been ages since we’ve brought joy to the masses with our documentation of the lovely bearded men we encounter in Denver. But, fear no more, beardies. We have a backlog of bearded interviews dating back a few years that we are aiming to bring to you this summer (and perhaps some new beards, too)! And summatime starts now.
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Just before Christmas in 2013, we had the delight and privilege to see the Americana duo The Lowest Pair perform at Swallow Hill in Denver. Now, on the eve of their show at Hi-Dive tomorrow, we bring you a dated yet delightful interview with Palmer T. Lee, who makes up one half of the lowest pair with the lovely Kendl Winter.

Palmer, who hails from Minnesota, shared with us that since he’d been able to grow a beard, he couldn’t remember a time he’s been clean shaven, and when we spoke with him, he had had that version of his beard for at least three years. Palmer made some changes in June 2013, and for the sake of hitting the road, he rid himself of all his possessions—including his beard trimmer—so he kept his beard proportional by occasionally using a simple scissors (with The Lowest Pair’s continued success we hope he’s been able to snag a trimmer again!) As far as Palmer’s family’s take on his beard, he said his grandparents “think it’s weird” but Kendl is a fan. Occasionally fans come up and caress his beard without permission, which he readily embraces. For beard-upkeep, Palmer uses a specific brush (which he said was unnecessary for grooming of his actual hair). You’ll want to catch The Lowest Pair with their amazing banjo skills–and Palmer’s beard–at the Hi-Dive tomorrow (June 8th), especially as they’ve just released two new albums and are touring this summer. Plus, local gem Patrick Dethlefs is opening. We can’t wait to hear them, and see how the past few years have treated Palmer’s fantastic beard!

They often say rebirth takes place in the spring, but for Beards of Denver, we’re all about the fall. After (more than) a year (!) hiatus, we are re-launching BofD close to our three-year anniversary with one seriously burly beard.

Fans of Beards of Denver, meet Scott Griffin Padden, or as his friends and the Beards of Denver ladies call him, SGP. We happened upon this handsome hunk of bearded dude at the acclaimed Lost Lake Lounge on East Colfax, a favorite haunt of the ladies of Beards of Denver, where we like to sip whiskey on weeknights and catch great shows. SGP was playing guitar this fateful night with the band Goodnight, Texas and took time after the show to share with us the inspiration behind his beard dedication, which is two-fold: a combined hatred of shaving plus embarking on several tours with different bands made up of an assortment of bearded bandmates lead to this fine beard specimen. (SGP swears he doesn’t have Beard Envy, although we’re guessing many of our readers now may after seeing his beard). SGP has been growing his fantastic beard since February 2014—no small feat, as he shared with us it takes time, care, and patience to navigate slow beard-growth spurts.

SGP keeps his boss beard beautiful through a beard trimmer his loving mother bought him for his birthday, a small dose of hair product, and his secret ingredient: Beard Balm he’s modeling here, which a friend of his created. We know Beard Balm works magic because we witnessed SGP fending off beard-kisses bestowed on him by an adoring fan (though he told us he does miss the neck kisses his longer beard blocks). Such are the daily struggles of a dashing bearded dude.

Though not a Denver boy, SGP is rumored to be making a reappearance in our fair city very soon! When not touring the world and wowing people with his beard (and music) he plays and composes music in San Francisco, where he currently resides. “You’ll have bad beard days. But Fuck ‘em!” A wise-bearded man’s creed if we’ve ever heard one.

On occasion, the stars align for the ladies of Beards of Denver. When we think we’re simply heading out on the town for an always-innocent night of sippin’ whiskey and dancin’ to the folk-Americana-bluegrass-accordion-laced music we fancy, wouldn’t you know, a fabulous beard enters our orbit. Such was the case on a recent Friday night at Larimer Lounge in Denver, when our already wonderful night of listening to the amazing tunes of Hurray for the Riff Raff (who put out one of our favorite albums this year) and Spirit Family Reunion was topped off by meeting Joe from Denver and admiring his amazing beard. Believe it or not, ladies and gentlebeards, this is Joe’s first foray into serious beard growth. He’s been growing his beard since February, and shared with us that lots of guys “Think they are not beard guys because it grows in patchy” but he was adamant they need to stay the course and get past those uncomfortable stages until they reach full beard glory. We, of course, couldn’t agree more. Joe, who often used to shave his head, altered his hair cut to complement his beard. Such good choices! Joe shampoos his beard every few days, and came about using a beard cream in a rather serendipitous fashion. Walking into the Dive Inn bar on South Broadway one night, he encountered a bar back there who makes a beard cream called Don’s Beard Cream, which accounts for his beard’s soft texture (turns out you can buy this at Indie 6). Yet another example of wonderful Denver Beard-brotherhood.Originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this good Midwestern boy has called our fair city of Denver home the past eight years. When not grooming his beard, he plays guitar and generally philosophizes. Believe it or not ladies, Joe’s a free agent, which we’re sure won’t last for long with a beard like his. He plans to put in at least a full year of beard growth, declaring “I feel like I’ve come so far and I need to take it to the limit. Why do anything if you’re not going to go all the way?” Take it all the way, Joe! We can’t wait to see how your beard progresses come February.

To continue in the spirit of our favorite month of the year–No Shave November–we bring to you today a redbearded wonder hailing from Jacksonville, Florida: Meet Matthew. We were fortunate enough to encounter Matthew and his amazing sweetheart Wendy and their daughter Dailyn at the Gentleman of the Road music tour in St. Augustine, Florida in September. Matthew has been growing his impressive beard since November 1st, 2012, and has no plans to stop: he explained to us, that, as he told his employer, it’s against his religion to shave, as his religion is Man. We’ll happily apply for membership into The Church of the Beard any day. Wendy told us she is quite fond of Matthew’s bad-ass beard, though it does get tiring fending off the attention her man’s mane garners. Matthew, who designs office interiors for a company in Jacksonville, told us his friends affectionately call him Mountain Man and we tend to agree: He’d fit right in with the bearded brotherhood in Denver! Like a woman with a pregnant belly, Matthew has to handle aggressive admirers who are often a little too eager to caress his beard, but we sympathize with the adoring public; it’s hard to resist such a work of art! Thanks Matthew, Wendy, and Dailyn, you made our magical musical weekend a little sweeter!

Occasionally, the ladies of Beards of Denver spread their wings and head out on a beard hunt in foreign lands. In September, adventures took the ladies of B of D away from our haven of landlocked mountain majesty to the ocean-enveloped locale dubbed St. Augustine, Florida to attend the Gentleman of the Road music tour and see Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Justin Townes Earle, & many other fabulous musicians perform. With an event dubbed “Gentleman of the Road” you may not be surprised to learn there were a plethora of bearded concert-goers, including Ross, pictured here with Stephanie, a dear friend of the Ladies of B of D. And since both gingerbeards and true gingers are particularly close to our hearts here at Beards of Denver, we couldn’t resist posting these two firery redheads together! Ross, who hails from the panhandle of Florida, has been growing his red-bearded mane for nearly a year. A Certified Public Account for Warren Averett, he dedicated much of his Christmas break in 2012 to the beginnings of his beard, and we can’t think of a better holiday gift to the world than an increase in the number of gingerbeards. Luckily for the universe, Ross’ place of employment welcomed his beard with open arms when he returned to work after the holiday season. Ross’ lovely wife Brianne wasn’t a fan of his beard initially but now has fully gotten on board to support his beard. If Ross and Anne could drive six hours for a weekend of music, we have no doubt Ross’ beard dedication will last for several years into the future. Thanks Ross! We like Florida more now.

It’s Movember, Beards of Denver faithful, and to kick it off right we bring you a magnificent, yet modest, mustache! Meet Macon, who has been growing his stellar ‘stache for over two years. Originally from Houston, Macon’s been a Coloradoan since 2001 and a Denverite since 2007. He told us the best part of sporting his ‘stache is that people buy him drinks all the time, and the worst part is that everyone wants to talk about it (guilty as charged) particularly bros, kids, and cougars (why are we not surprised about the cougars? Look at that face!) In fact, Macon’s been beckoned by cougars who asked him if mustache rides are free. Ladies, take note: Please buy the gentleman a drink first!While most people admire his mustache, occasionally bros are aggressive; he even got called out on the 16th Street mall recently. Obviously, that person needed to feel the ‘stache love! Speaking of love, Macon said his sweethearts are a fan of his ‘stache, and are always surprised at how soft it is, which may be due to the fact he waxes it almost everyday with mustache wax a friend gave him called Mr. Mustard’s Magnificent Magical Mustache Manicuring Miracle Wax (say that five times fast), which he keeps in his pocket right next to his Altoids. We love that dedication to the ‘stache.Macon’s mom and sis like his ‘stache more than when he had his beard, as they want to see those gorgeous cheekbones! Understandable, ladies. Macon told us when he rocked his beard it was really wiry, but he figured it was a good way to find a great lady: If a girl loved him with his big, wiry, ridiculous beard she must really love him. We’re just glad at least the ‘stache lives on.Besides growing that superb ‘stache, Macon is a professional musician, playing upright bass and guitar in a few bands in town, including the wonderful band Paper Bird (who we’re big fans of here at Beards of Denver). Additionally, he just started a record label, Collectible Records, which had its first release the end of September. He also dabbles in landscaping, carpentry, and soon pedi-cabbing. We predict people will be lining up to get a pedi-cab ride from this ‘stache! If you see Macon around, perhaps just give him a knowing nod of appreciation; he likes that his ‘stache is well-received but doesn’t always need to talk about it. Duly noted, and most appreciated. Thanks Macon!

The Ladies of Beards of Denver are always ready, willing, and able to meet an impressive bearded man, but it was a first to meet a fabulous bearded man whose name IS Ready, but that’s just what we’ve got for you today. Ready, who we encountered at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver while waiting for the band Shel to perform, proudly declared that he hasn’t shaved in five or six years, hence his burly mane. His beard is generated largely from laziness, and we don’t mind one bit. Ready said he can easily keep his beard long and luxurious because he’s been traveling so much: he lives in upstate New York and was visiting Denver to attend all three Phish shows at the end of August, and then was planning to head to South America. When asked his mom’s opinion of his beard, Ready shared that she doesn’t like it much because she thinks it makes him look “old and scruffy.” Move to Denver, Ready, where the beard love is unabashed and literally ready to embrace you!

Here in Denver, we are fortunate for so many reasons. We have tons of breweries from which to sample so much frothy deliciousness; we are able to get around on bikes almost anywhere in our wonderful city; and every night of the week there are a multitude of great live music choices to see. It is at one of our favorite venues, the Larimer Lounge, where we met Nate and his stop-you-in-your-tracks beard. We were there to see two wonderful bands–Shel out of Fort Collins and Whiskey Shivers out of Austin–and were pleasantly surprised to meet Nate between sets. Nate has been growing his amazing mane on and off since 2004, and has lived in Denver about 13 years. When he’s not playing the role of volunteer roadie for Shel he works at Renegade Publik House in Denver, which features many of the aforementioned delicious brews. Nate said his mom has a love/hate relationship with his beard (clearly we need to get her over to our side of pure appreciation) and–get ready for this ladies–he has no sweetheart!? With a beard like this and that much dapper style, that won’t be the case for long. Thanks Nate! We’ll be by Renegade to see you, and admire that beard of yours, soon!

When you think of the 1990s, your first thought may not be bad-ass beards, but we are about to seriously change your frame of reference. Meet Mr. Rob Engelberth (left) and Mr. David Sands (right), whom the ladies of Beards of Denver were lucky enough to encounter at a ‘90s house party in Congress Park recently. Between listening to those sweet ‘90s melodies of Blink-182 and Nirvana (and drinking from the keg) we got the skinny on these two buddies and their beards.Mr. Sands was not only sporting his bitchin’ beard at the party, but also duct-taped together Air Jordans (‘90s, represent!) and besides showing off his style, he was also photographing partygoers, as he is the photographer behind David Sands Pictures (that is, when he is not caring for his beard). Speaking of beard-care, Mr. Sands applies coconut oil to his beard weekly under the direction of his lovely sweetheart Rachael, who is his “Beard Manager,” and she adores his beard even though it often smells like food and has ice cream in it (seems like a bonus!) Mr. Sands is a Colorado boy who has been in Denver the past 10 years, and he likes to keep his beard trimmed to about this length as the norm. Rachael has only seen him once clean shaved and “I hated it,” she told us. We knew we loved this woman almost as much as Mr. Sands’ beard.Mr. Engelberth (which means means “Birth of an Angel” in German, in case you were curious) has been in Denver since 2008 and shared with us the history of his mad facial-hair skills, as he was blessed with a full goatee when he was only a strapping young man of 17. Mr. Engelberth works downtown on his bike, and said he keeps his beard all summer because, even when it’s hot out, since he works outdoors, it just feels so damn good. We certainly appreciate and approve of that true-blue beard-dedication. Mr. Eneglberth’s amazing fiancé, Kim, is his number one beard fan and she attempts to help him care for those pesky split ends. A Congress park couple, we’re happy to be neighbors with this bearded gem and his lady. Thanks for keeping the beard pride rollin’, darlins!

It’s not everyday you meet a stand-up beard who also plays the stand-up bass, but the ladies of Beards of Denver were in the right spot at the right time on a recent fine, fall evening to meet Max and admire his ginger-bearded fantasticness. Max, a musician from London, England, currently plays bass and stand-up bass in Tom Odell’s band, and we were lucky enough to hang with Max and his bandmates (curly-haired Max, Matt, and Tom) at Goosetown Tavern after their show at The Bluebird in Denver. Max has been growing his beard for the past three years, and is a firm believer his face looks better bearded. We agree, though his mom isn’t in our same camp, as she wishes he would shave so she can more freely admire his handsome face. Max’s sweetheart, Ann-Marie, is on our side, though, as she is adamantly against Max shaving, and Max loves her the more for it, claiming “She’s the sweetest girl in the world and puts up with me quite a lot.” Such sweet words from such an amazing beard aren’t that surprising, but we imagine Max is a bit easier to put up with while sporting his impressive beard. Luckily, the life of a touring musician seems quite appropriate to continue his bearded-mastery. Look for Max, his beard, and his bandmates on Leno soon, and follow him on Twitter @max_goff for beard and other sure-to-be-intriguing updates. Cheers Max! We’ll happily tip some scotch and fireball back with you anytime you’re back in our lovely Denver.